Best Dog Food for Pugs – Top Picks and Buying Guide

As a dog lover, one of the dog breeds I consider my fave are pugs. With their wrinkly face and a short muggled look, it is definitely not hard not to guess why. Aside from this, they have a very unique and great sense of humor. It is also probably one of the reasons why they are often called the clown in the world of dogs.

Moreover, pugs are also known to be lap dogs. For this reason, they are notorious for loving human companionship. Noting how precious they are, it is vital that you take good care of them such as by giving them food. In this article, I’ve rounded up best dog food for pugs plus a buying guide.

This Eagle Pack dry dog food comes with a balanced and complete nutrient content. It contains a good balance of all the essential nutrients such as carbs, protein, fats and vitamins. All the sources come from organic, premium and all-natural sources.

As for the protein, it comes from natural and premium lamb. Meanwhile, this dry dog food also comes with barley, oatmeal and brown rice. All these three contain essential nutrients such as fiber and other minerals plus a bunch of healthy carbs.

This dry dog food also contains glucosamine which helps to maintain healthy joints and avoid hip dysplasia. It also comes with omega fatty acids which promotes healthy skin and hair.

Pros

Balanced nutrients

Sources are organic, natural and premium

Protein comes from premium lamb

Contains barley, oatmeal and brown rice which are all sources of carbs and minerals

This dog food comes with a perfectly balanced content and amount of nutrients. Aside from this, it's formula was created for breeds like Pugs making it a perfect fit for your dog. With this dog food, you will actually be getting at least twenty different kinds of super foods such as cranberry, broccoli, apples and brown rice among many others.

All these foods offer a generous amount of nutrients like vitamins and minerals. Furthermore, this dog food is also packed with small kibble sizes. This makes it easy for your Pugs to chew on. Aside from this, it also comes with a good and generous amount of protein. Moreover, it is also free from grains.

The Wellness Complete Health dog food also comes with a formula that has been specifically designed for small breeds like Pugs. It contains kibbles that come in small sizes which are just perfect for Pugs since they can chew them easily.

This dog food uses Turkey as its main ingredient and source of protein. It also comes with oatmeal, a good source of carbs. Moreover, it also contains a dash of glucosamine which really aids in promoting healthy joints for your Pugs.

It also contains omega fatty acids which help in maintaining a healthy skin and coat. It also contains salmon, another good source of protein. It also comes with additional DHA which promotes healthy eye and brain development.

This dry dog food is one of my top picks and for a good number of reasons. The Holistic Select Natural food only comes with premium and natural ingredients. It is also one of the dry dog food that comes with a heavy amount of protein.

In fact, protein is the main ingredient that the Holistic dry dog food uses. It uses lamb as its main protein which is packed with nutrients. It also does not contain any harmful fillers or by-products.

Moreover, this dog food also comes with a balanced nutrient content. It contains all the necessary fats such as omega fatty acids and carbs. However, it comes with wheat so be sure to check first if your will have any allergic reactions to this.

One of the best things I like about Royal Canin is that their kibbles come with sizes that are specifically made for dogs of small sizes like Pugs. For this reason, it means this Royal Canin dog food is very easy for your dog to eat.

This also means you can easily avoid digestion problems since they will be ingesting less air fuel to the perfect kibble sizes. As stated, Pugs are very prone to health problems that concern the joints and bones such as hip dysplasia. Well, this dry dg food is equipped with nutrients that are specifically helpful for joint health issues.

Nutritional Necessities

Now, let us first talk about the general recommended weight or size for pugs. The typical standard weight for Pugs will be around fourteen up to eighteen pounds. However, this is just an estimated number.

After all, most Pugs tend to weigh too much. This is most especially true for those that do not get that much exercise. While Pugs do not really need much exercise, light exercises are still needed to regulate their weight.

Recommended Caloric Intake

Next, let us move on to the amount of caloric intake that is needed by each Pug. According to a study done by the National Research Council of the National Academies, the average recommended daily intake of calories will be around 727 calories.

Do take note that this especially applied for an average Pug that weighs around eighteen pounds. Moreover, Pugs that have been neutered or spayed will probably need fewer calories. This also applies to Pugs that are older.

Aside from this, if your Pug is younger and does a lot of exercises, then it means he or she has a faster metabolism. As a result, he or she is going to need more calories.

Recommended Protein and Fats

Protein is very essential to make sure that your dog’s muscles and bones stay healthy and strong. According to a research done by The Association of American Feed Control Officials, the recommended minimum amount of protein is around twenty two percent for grown Pugs and about eighteen percent of protein for younger Pugs.

Aside from this, fats are also very essential. They are good sources of energy for your Pugs. In fact, fats should comprise at least about eight percent of your puppy﻿﻿’s diet. Meanwhile, for older Pugs, you can lower it down to about five percent.

Take note that fats are very good sources of omega fatty acids such as omega-3. These nutrients help in maintaining a healthy skin, hair and coat for your Pugs.

Feeding Guidelines

Now that we have tackled the basic nutritional needs of a Pug, let us move onto the basic guidelines you can refer to when it comes to feeding your Pugs

Obesity is very common among Pugs since they really love to eat. For this reason, refrain from leaving out any food since your Pugs may accidentally stumble upon them and finish them all in one sitting. Remember that you have to separate their meals into two different rounds or else, they will have problems concerning weight.

One good way of feeding your Pug is by measuring calories by body weight. In this way, the chances of your dog being obese will be avoided. To be specific, your Pug will need about forty calories per pound of body weight.

To put it into an example, let us say your Pug weighs around 15 pounds. This means the recommended caloric intake for him or her is around 600 calories per day. Once your puppy reaches a year and older, you increase forty to fifty calories per pound.

Monitor weight very thoroughly. As stated, Pugs can gain weight quite easily. And unfortunately, it is hard for them to lose it once they start gaining weight. Try weighing their size every week to check if you should try cutting down their caloric intake.

Whenever you want to try switching to a different brand, remember that you must do it gradually. This should be done to avoid health problems that concern your Pug’s digestive health. Do this by mixing only about 20% of the new product with 80% of the old one. Slowly increase the new product within about a month.

Recommended Choices for Pugs

Meat

Fish and chicken are both highly recommended since dark meat can be too fatty and may contain a lot of calories. However, do also take note that your dog may be allergic to chicken so watch out.

Sweet, baked or regular potatoes

Potatoes, regardless of type, are very nutritious. They offer a whole lot of minerals and vitamins such as fiber, copper and potassium. Moreover, sweet potatoes are also relatively low when it comes to calories.

Fruits

Fruits are also another good way of making sure that your Pug will get a generous amount of vitamins. Examples are berries such as blackberries and blueberries. They are very good antioxidants.

Common Health Issues

1. ﻿Hip ﻿dysplasia﻿: Pugs are the second breed to be most likely affected by this condition. This is characterized by the hip joint not being fit together. Be sure to look for joint supplements like glucosamine.

2. ﻿Skin problems: Skin problems are also really common when it comes to Pugs. Their skin can get dry and flaky. This is most especially true for his or her wrinkly folds in the face.

Final Thoughts

And for this review roundup, I have to say the best dog food for Pugs will have to be Eagle Pack Lamb & Rice Natural Dry Dog Food. First of all, this dog food comes with a balanced content of nutrients. This balanced content contains all the essential nutrients such as carbohydrates, protein, fats and vitamins.

Aside from this, these contents come from organic and premium sources. Its protein comes from lamb. Meanwhile, it gets its carbs and minerals from barley and brown rice among others. It also contains glucosamine which promotes joint healthy.

So there you have it, guys! I hope this article really helped you on your journey to finding the best dog food for Pugs for you! If you have any more questions, suggestions or just recommendations, do not hesitate to leave them down below! 🙂

Anna Stewart

Hello!! I'm Anna.
I have many hobbies about pets and animal, especially about dogs. In this blog I will share those necessary things you need to know about your dogs like behaviors, training, favorites, health care ... and more. Visit my blog regularly and share the fun with your dogs.

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I’m the founder of Puphow.com. I grew up with dogs around me and pets have always been my passion. My burning desire is to deliver valuable knowledge and experience to others sharing the same interest with me.

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